Police: Men Use Tow Truck to Steal Cars From Homes

A New Orleans resident has helped police catch two men suspected of using a tow truck to steal cars from homes.

Dawn Dedeaux tells WWL-TV that she caught two men trying to steal her van from a house near the Fair Grounds Race Course. Dedeaux collected enough information that New Orleans police were able to arrest two men who allegedly were towing cars and selling them for scrap in Belle Chasse.

Keith Lanne, 45, and Ruel Smith, 32, both of Gretna, were arrested on multiple counts of theft and conspiracy.

Police say the suspects got at least three cars before Dedeaux encountered them, including two from Dedeaux's next-door neighbor.

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New Orleans police detectives are searching for a beer truck that was stolen this morning in the French Quarter.

Police say the truck — emblazoned with “Miller Beer” on the sides and back — was parked in front of a business in the 600-block of Decatur St. while the driver made his deliveries around 8 a.m. this morning. The driver left the keys inside of the truck and the doors unlocked, and returned to find the vehicle missing.